Propulsion device for polycycles.



M. MCGOWAN.

PROPULSION DEVICE FOR POLYGYGLES.

APPLIOATIONVPILED APR. 7. 1913.

12,097,659, Patented May 26,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET M. MCGOWAN.

PROPULSION DEVICE POR POLYGYGLES.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 26, 1914,

APPLICATION FILED APR.7,1913.

UNITED STATES I aTENT oFFIoE.

MATTHEW McGowan, or ST. LoUIs, yMISSOURI, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF To NICHOLAS c. DUnIE, or sT. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PROPULSION DEVICE FOR POLYCYCLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application led April?, 1913. Serial No. 759,357.

To all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that/'1, MATTHEW McGowan, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of .Missouri, have invented a new and useful plication of a reciprocatory power element to a rotatory power element in such a way that there ma be no dead centers; to utilize both strores of the reciprocatory element in'propelling the velocipede; to pro- ,vide forthe utilization of either or both the arms and legs of the rider in applying the muscular strength of his body as a motive power; and to attain certain advantages which will hereinafter more fully ap pear. K

'The invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts f hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of the Specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a` velocipede illustrating an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse section through one of the side members of the/frame showing the manner of mountino` the seat; Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryview sliowingy one of the drivingratchets; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan viewv with the seat removed, showing the propelling mechanism; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View of the driving shaft showing the arrangement of the driving ratchets thereon; Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the frame, showing the arrangementI of the reciprocator power element and driving screw; and Fig. 7 'is a longitudinal sect-Ion through the reciprocatory power element.

The velocipede frame comprises two parallel longitudinal side members l. The front ends of these side members are mounted on a yoke or transverse connecting member 2, to which the front axle 3 is swiveled. Near their rear ends the longitudinal mem bers 1 are connected by a horizontally disposed U-shaped member or yoke 4. The opposite end portions 4a of this yoke 4, which are fastened to the inner faces of said lon gitudinal members 1, have perforations alincd with holes in said longitudinal members through which the driving shaft 5 is passed, the perforations in said. yoke 4 con- Stituting the journal bearings.

Ratchet wheels 6 are pinned or otherwise suitably fastened to the drivin@ shaft 5 adjacent to the end portions 4 of the yoke 4; and beveled ears 7 are 'mounted loosely on the driving saft next to said ratchet wheels 6, said beveled gears having annularI plate portions 7 to which pawls 8 are pivoted. Said pawls 8 are held in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheels bysprings 9, p and both of the ratchets are arranged so as to drive the axle in the same direction.

Meshing 'with both of the beveled gears 7 is a beveled driving gear 10 which is fixed on the end of a propeller screw 11. Said propeller screw 11 is journaled at one end in said yoke 4 and at its opposite end in a yoke 12 which is secured to the longitudinal frame members 1 near the front ends thereof. The propeller screw is;prferably made by twisting a bar which is originally square in cross section. By so doing, a screw having four intertwisted threads of long pitch is produced. The end portions of the screw may be turned in-a lat ie or otherwise provided with the necessary journals. A

Working on the propeller screw 11 is reciprocatory power element or nut 13, which is slidably mounted at its side margins on tracks 14. Preferably, the tracks 14 comprise angle irons which are secured to the inner faces of the longitudinal frame members 1 and the member 13 is rovided with' marginal grooves to whicht e horizontal fianges of the angle members are fitted. ciprocatory power member 13 may be obviously provided with continuous counterpart threads adapted to it the threads of said propeller screw, or lugs 16 may be provided only at the ends of said barrel, as shown more clearly 'in Fig. 7 By the latter arrangement the friction is reduced to a minimum without sacrificing any power. So, too, the barrel may be either circular or square in cross section.

When the barrel is provided with the lugs 16 at the ends in lieu of continuous threads,

The barrel portion 15 of this reit is preferably made square in cross section. This arrangement also facilitates casting the member 13. In songe cases, also,

` and if the barrels are made of pieces of tubing, the ends may be indented or pressed inward to provide equivalents for the lugs 16 to` engage the threads of the propeller screw.

Secured to the under sides of the longitudinal members 1 near the front end of the velocipede are brackets 17 which carry a cross bar 18. On this cross bar an oscillatory lever 19 is pivoted, said lever having a suitable handle 20 atits upper end. A link bar 21 is pivoted at one end to the lever 19, as at 22, and at its opposite end to an upstanding lug 23 on the reciprocatory power member 13. The member- 13 is also provided with a pair of upstanding lugs 24 to which a depending lug 25 on a sliding seat 26 is 'adapted to be attached. These coperating lugs 24 and 25 are provided with horizontal perforations through which a bolt 27 may be inserted, said bolt being removable so as v to disconnect the seat from said member 13 when so desired.

v The sliding seat'26 may be mounted-i11 any desirable manner, but it is preferable l' to arrange parallel bars 28 on top of the longitudinal members 1 and to provide metal straps 29 on, cleats 30 which are secured to the under side of the seat, the ends of said straps 29 being looped about said bars 28. A

In the operation of the velocipede the seat ma be connected to the reciprocatory power e ement 13 or not, as desired. When the member 13 is moved rearwardly either through the instrumentality of the sliding seat or handle lever 19, or both, the propeller screw 11 is rotated in one direction, thereby rotating one of the ratchets in the direction to propel the machine; and upon the forward stroke, said propeller screw is rotated in the opposite direction, and thereby the opposite ratchet is brought into use. Hence, both strokes of the reciprocatory and oscillatory power elements are utilized in propelling the machine. In some cases, one of the driving ratchets may be eliminated so that the machine is propelled only on one'of the strokes of said reciprocatory and oscillatory power ele-I ments. In such cases, the forward portion 11 of the propeller screw 11 will have the threads eliminated for such a distance that the member ldl/amay be pulled forwardl clear of the thigea s, in order that the handle lever 19 may be set in front of the velocipede and the velocipede thus be drawn as a wagon. In this construction, the -velocipede may be pushed backward without damaging the Y l t seat for the rider may be stationarily mount- Y ed on `the velocipede or means may be pro-v vided for locking the slidable seat when it is disconnected from the reciprocatory power element 13.

Obviously, instead of twisting a bar of square cross section to make the propeller screw, a bar of triangular section may be used, in which caset-he screw will have triple threads. So, too, instead of the sides of the bars being originally straight or l'at, they may ce concaved or hollowed out, in which case the threads of the screw will be deeper. It is also obvious that the threads may be cut or otherwise formed on the pro'- peller screw; andthe velocipede admits of considerable other modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do vnot wish to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement shown.

What I claimv is:

1. In a velocipede,

shaft, a longitudinal propeller screw rot-atable in two directions, a bevel driving gearA two oppositelyl fixed to said propeller screw, disposed bevel gears mounted loosely on said driving shaft and engaging said driving gear so as to be driven thereby simultaneously in reverse direction, ratchet wheels a transverse driving fixed on said driving shaft adjacent to said g driven gears, pawls carried by said driven gears and engaging said ratchet wheels and adapted to rotate the latter in the same direction, thereby continuously rotating the driving shaft in one direction, and a' reciprocatory power member engaging said propeller screw and adapted to impart a reversing rotary motion thereto on both of its strokes.

2. In a velocipede, longitudinal members, a transverse driving shaft, a longitudinal propeller screw located between said longitudinal frame members, transmission gearing connecting said propeller screw and said drivinr shaft, a re-` ciprocatory power member slidably mounted on said longitudinal frame members and engaging said propeller screw and adapted to impart rotary motion thereto on both of its strokes, and an oscillatory handle lever connected to said reciprocatory power` member. 3. In a velocipede, a frame comprising longitudinal members, a transverse driving shaft, a longitudinal propeller screw locatedbetween said longitudinal frame members, transmission gearing connecting said propeller screw and said driving shaft, a reciprocatory power member mounted on said longitudinal frame members and engaging said propeller screw andadapt-ed to impart rotary motion thereto on both of its strokes, an oscillatory handle lever connected to said reciprocatory power member', a sliding seat,

a `frame comprising through which the year and month designatirw numbers are exposed, and an opening be ow the pivot through which the daymonth designating membersl are exposed, week day designations along the lower opening, the year card having an upper opening adapted to expose a selected month designation on the day-month calendar card and a lower opening through which the days of a month designations onthe day-month calendar card are exposed, means for rotatively adjustin the two calendar cards the year designatlons on the year and the month cards and days of a month designations on the day-month card bein concentrically arranged, means for rigi ly connectlng the said front and back plates at the corners thereof, the card disks being of less diameter than the distance s ace between the connections for one end o the two plates, whereby, when the pivotal connection that joins is removed the rotatable calendar cards can be slid edgewise from between the face and back plates.

WALTER L. JONES. 

